Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changchun and in Beijing (Pekin)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Changchun and in Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $904 per month in Changchun vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Changchun $904
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,324 per month in Changchun vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Changchun $1,324
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,743 per month in Changchun vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Changchun $1,743
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Changchun is about 24% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Changchun and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Changchun 33% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.22

$4.53 ¥30.31

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.15 ¥148

$30.16 ¥202

-26.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.68

$5.36 ¥35.83

-3.17%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥16.02

$3.57 ¥23.84

-32.77%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.51 ¥3.39

-7.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 ¥1.89

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.12

$1.19 ¥7.94

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.71 ¥11.43

11.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.74 ¥11.66

9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$1.77 ¥11.82

-31.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.65

$1.29 ¥8.61

11.63%

Eggs

$1.81 ¥12.12

$1.95 ¥13.01

-7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.55 ¥231

$14.29 ¥95.5

141.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 ¥38.15

$3.31 ¥22.13

72.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ¥69.3

$11.11 ¥74.3

-6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.51

$2.12 ¥14.18

-18.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.73 ¥11.56

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.05

$2.09 ¥13.98

-13.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.66

$1.54 ¥10.30

22.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$0.69 ¥4.64

28.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.75 ¥5.04

-22.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$0.61 ¥4.06

140.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.28

$4.27 ¥28.52

-11.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.06 ¥141

$13.90 ¥93.0

51.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.02 ¥6.80

-9.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.37

$1.81 ¥12.09

-39.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.69 ¥4.65

-36.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.90 ¥12.73

-34.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.35 ¥2.36

-11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ¥20.18

$7.28 ¥48.68

-58.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.33 ¥8.87

-3.76%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

-1.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.8K ¥118.9K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

-1.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$76.7 ¥513

$59.1 ¥395

29.82%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$4.43 ¥29.63

$8.77 ¥58.7

-49.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$14.22 ¥95.1

3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 ¥250

$41.06 ¥275

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 ¥27.59

$24.89 ¥166

-83.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.42

$7.44 ¥49.74

-10.75%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$553 ¥3,701

$654 ¥4,375

-15.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ¥146.1K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

-8.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 ¥493

$71.2 ¥476

3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 ¥297

$40.02 ¥268

11.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 ¥402

$88.2 ¥590

-31.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ¥466

$127 ¥846

-44.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 ¥1,446

$945 ¥6,317

-77.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ¥1,648

$523 ¥3,499

-52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ¥3,848

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-75.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ¥2,057

$1,122 ¥7,500

-72.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,668 ¥11.2K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-86.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ¥6,728

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-84.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$961 ¥6,423

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-44.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

3.12

40.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$313 * 34.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 27% $84

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$246 27.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 112% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$112 12.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 31.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$96 10.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 14.4% $14

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 32% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$51 5.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 10.3% $5.2

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 809% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Changchun versus $945 in Beijing (Pekin). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 79% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Changchun versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Changchun vs $229 in Beijing (Pekin) – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

Same time as Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Changchun Beijing (Pekin) 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
Beijing (Pekin)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Changchun vs Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,356 per month in Changchun and $1,778 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changchun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Changchun and $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 37% cheaper in Beijing (Pekin) – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Changchun, where all-in costs run around $904, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Changchun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changchun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Changchun. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.